Former Holy Cross standout Connor Peek had a strong summer with the SwampBats. (Holy Cross Athletics)
Purple reigns again in the New England League.
On the strength of two incredible comebacks, the Keene SwampBats swept the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks in straight games to win their first Fay Vincent Sr. Cup in six years and the sixth in franchise history. Keene clinched its latest title and finished a 6-0 postseason run with a 16-7 Friday win in Oak Bluffs, Mass.
The SwampBats, who also defeated the Sharks to win it all in 2019, were consistently dominant throughout the summer. In the regular season, they tied the NECBL’s single-season record with 32 wins en route to winning the East Division by 10 games.
After defeating the Upper Valley Nighthawks and Sanford Mainers in the first two playoff rounds, Keene won 13-12 in Thursday’s title series opener after rallying from a 12-2 deficit entering the bottom of the eighth inning. All-Star utility player Ripken Reese’s (Kent State) walk-off grand slam was the difference.
Reese was 0 for 5 before his heroics on Thursday, but had eight RBI on a double and two homers in the deciding game to help the Bats recover from a 7-0 deficit after just two innings to hoist the Cup.
NEBJ’s latest summer collegiate watch list spotlights the NECBL’s championship contributors:
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